This typical instajournalism. While trumpeting the usual political speak and providing body counts the true underlying causes get little attention. The War Against Drugs is history repeating itself. As with Prohibition the "legitimate authorities" have created a market for illegal trafficking with a commonly used array of substances. Coupled with poverty, a geography beneficial to growing the demanded drugs, corrupt and ineffective regulators (on both sides of the Rio) and a highly motivated consumer population creates an environment and circumstances well beyond "control". Add a generous dose of ambivalence on the part of the general population (who generally believes the government should fix things) and stories like this will continue to provide shallow journalists plenty of repetitive opportunities to entertain us with essentially garbage.